Nashville Style Cowboy Spaghetti

Name: Nashville Style Cowboy Spaghetti
Ingredients: 2 T. olive oil; 1 pound ground chicken; 1 t. salt; ½ t. black pepper; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2 jalapenos, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 T. cumin; 1 T. ancho chile powder; 1 T. Worcestershire sauce; 1 ½ t. ground coriander; 1 t. oregano; 1 cup chicken broth; 1 T. light brown sugar, packed; 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed; 12 ounces Tri-Color Angel Hair Pasta Nests (or 12-16 ounces angel hair, spaghetti, or some other long pasta); ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (can sub parsley); Grated Parmesan (1/2 cup or so)

Overhead view of Nashville-style cowboy spaghetti in a brown bowl with ground chicken, white beans, cilantro, grated cheese

Update: While we do not make our angel hair anymore, a delicious substitution would be any shape from our Better-for-You Pasta lines…both distinct in health attributes but equally delish!

I love my hometown Nashville. And I love cowboys. Cowboy anything. (Ssshhhhh, my husband is from New Jersey). Anyone who knows me, knows I REALLY love my cowboy boots…all of them. Some are over 20 years old. I grew up in this small town (now, not so small) and love all things that blend our sophisticated and charming Nashville with a little splash of cowboy. And my latest crush is this Nashville-Style Cowboy Spaghetti.

Overhead view of Nashville-style cowboy spaghetti in bowls with beans, ground chicken, cilantro and shredded cheese

So what makes this dish so Nashville you might wonder? Well, let’s start with our Angel Hair Pasta…aka “Nashville Spaghetti” …made right here. (2020 UPDATE: We no longer make our angel hair pasta, but plenty of other specialty pasta shapes) What makes our Angel Hair so special is that it is “sheeted” pasta – made in long pasta sheets that are fed through a long die and then carefully cut into angel hair strands and gently whipped into little nest shapes.

Bowls of Nashville-style cowboy spaghetti served in rustic brown bowls topped with white beans, shredded cheese, and cilantro

Commercial angel hair is extruded though a die (imagine a play dough machine), which there is a ton of pressure applied to the pasta and the pasta texture becomes denser and the noodles more slippery. Our pasta has a fluffy and light texture and sauce clings to it. (OK, OK…enough of the pasta lesson ?)

Two bowls of Nashville-style cowboy spaghetti with beans, ground chicken and cilantro on a white table

Nashville-Style Cowboy Spaghetti is a little bit sweet, a little hearty, and a bit sassy too. Just like a lot of my fun Nashville friends….and even like some of the “Nashville” characters you see on TV. It’s just good solid pasta dish with lots of tasty flavors.

Two rustic brown bowls of Nashville-style cowboy spaghetti garnished with cilantro and grated cheese on a striped napkin

And what makes it Cowboy? The flavorful beans and ground chicken combo make the sauce a bit like a chili. A laid-back cowboy kind of chili. The cumin, coriander, ancho chile powder and jalapenos add some subtle but deep flavors that leave your family begging for more. Nashville-Style Cowboy Spaghetti is a perfect combo of your favorite bowl of chili and spaghetti – what could be better? (besides a new pair of Lucchese boots website boots website boots website boots?!)

Close-up of Nashville-style cowboy spaghetti in brown bowls with angel hair, beans, ground chicken, cilantro and fork

So, I encourage you to give this recipe a try. It’s surprisingly different from your typical spaghetti dishes. It’s comfort food at its best and perfect for these cold winter nights! Some other go-to winter dishes are Mini Ricotta Meatballs and Taco Bolognese, and Beef Ragu with Mint. Stay Warm!

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Top view of cowboy spaghetti with ground chicken, white beans and cilantro; fork twirling noodles and jalapeno on a cutting board